Lambeau Field

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=90 BGCOLOR="#006699" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="002285a1erlcgo.gif"> <div> <FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#FFCC66" FACE="Arial" ><B>The World of Sports Venues</B></FONT><B>     |     </B><A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The World of Sports Venues"><U><B>home</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="3Com.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="3Com Park"><U>3Com Park</U></A>   |   <A HREF="Edward.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Edward Jones Dome"><U>Edward Jones Dome</U></A>   |   <A HREF="Ericsson.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Ericsson Stadium"><U>Ericsson Stadium</U></A>   |   <A HREF="FedEx.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="FedEx Field"><U>FedEx Field</U></A>   |   <A HREF="Ford.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Ford Field"><U>Ford Field</U></A>   |   <A HREF="Georgia.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Georgia Dome"><U>Georgia Dome</U></A>   |   <A HREF="Giants.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Giants Stadium"><U>Giants Stadium</U></A>   |   <B>Lambeau Field</B>   |   <A HREF="Superdome.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Louisiana Superdome"><U>Louisiana Superdome</U></A>   |   <A HREF="Metro.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Metrodome"><U>Metrodome</U></A>   |   <A HREF="Raymond.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Raymond James Stadium"><U>Raymond James Stadium</U></A>   |   <A HREF="Seahawks.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Seahawks Stadium"><U>Seahawks Stadium</U></A>   |   <A HREF="Soldier.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Soldier Field"><U>Soldier Field</U></A>   |   <A HREF="SunDevil.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Sun Devil Stadium"><U>Sun Devil Stadium</U></A>   |   <A HREF="Texas.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Texas Stadium"><U>Texas Stadium</U></A>   |   <A HREF="Vet.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Veterans Stadium"><U>Veterans Stadium</U></A></div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=210 BGCOLOR="#FFCC66" TEXT="#080000" background="001d2c00dkelyh.gif"> <div> <A HREF="http://www.packers.com" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.packers.com"><U><IMG SRC="Packers.gif" border=0 width="80" height="80" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="file:///C:/My Documents/My Webs/myweb3/Stadiums/SeatingCharts/LambeauField2.gif" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.fortunecity.com/athena/thatch"><U>Seating Chart</U></A></div> <bR> </td> <td valign="top" height=390 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <I>Lambeau Field</I></div> <div> Address- 1265 Lombardi Avenue</div> <div>                  Green Bay, WI 54304</div> <bR> <div> Team- Green Bay Packers</div> <bR> <div> Year Opened- 1957</div> <div> Renovations- 1961, 63, 65, 70, 85, 90, 95</div> <div> Currently undergoing new renovation to be completed in 2003</div> <bR> <div> Capacity- 65,290</div> <bR> <div> Surface- Grass</div> <bR> <div> Open since 1957, Lambeau Field is the longest- tenured facility in the National Football League, and in 1999 it was ranked the world's eighth-best venue for watching sports by <I>Sports Illustrated</I>. Named after Curly Lambeau, founder and first coach of the Packers, the Packers home base has been sold out on a season- ticket basis since 1960, with waiting lists close to the 50,000 mark. Originally built at a cost of $960,000, additional seating first increased the stadium's capacity from 32,150 seats to 56,263. An additional 108 private boxes and 1,920 theater-style club seats moved that number to 59,543. A $295 million face-lift will begin in 2001 to add yet another 10,000 seats. Lambeau Field features a natural grass turf (the famous Lambeau “sod”), with more than 30 miles of a heating pipe that enables the grass to grow throughout the winter. If you can't get a game ticket, it's worth it to check out the facility by taking the Lambeau Field Stadium Tour.</div> <div> Your Town Green Bay</div> <bR> <div> Erected in 1957, the structure was dedicated as City Stadium on September 29 of that year -- a day which saw Green Bay topple the hated Chicago Bears, 21-17 -- during ceremonies attended by then-Vice President Richard M. Nixon and National Football League Commissioner Bert Bell. It later was renamed Lambeau Field in 1965 following the death of E.L. "Curly" Lambeau, founder and first coach of the Packers. </div> <div> Originally built at a cost of $960,000, an amount shared equally by the Packer Corporation and the City of Green Bay, the facility was financed by way of a bond issue which received 2-to-1 voter approval in a municipal referendum conducted April 3, 1956.</div> <bR> <div> Since that time, seating additions -- all of them underwritten by the Green Bay Packers, Inc. -- have increased stadium capacity from its original 32,150 to 38,669 in 1961, to 42,327 in 1963, to 50,852 in 1965 and to 56,263 in 1970. Construction of the initial 72 private boxes in 1985 swelled capacity to 56,926, and a 1990 addition of 36 boxes and the 1,920 theatre-style club seats (in the south end zone on either side of the scoreboard) moved that number to 59,543. </div> <bR> <div> The seventh -- and most recent -- seating addition occurred in 1995, when a $4.7-million project put 90 more private boxes in the previously open north end zone, first giving the stadium the feel of being a complete bowl. Also that year, just prior to the start of the season, an ultra-modern Turbosound Flashlight Loudspeaker System was put into place at the north end of Lambeau. The new audio configuration, installed at a cost of $210,000, provides highly intelligible sound throughout the stadium while minimizing reverberation off the glass of the premium seating areas.</div> <bR> <div> Installed in the spring of 1997 was a specially-designed gravel drainage system which allows the playing field to effectively handle up to 15 inches of rain per hour, as well as irrigation and radiant heating systems. The new heating system, which replaced the 30-year-old heating coils installed by former Packers coach Vince Lombardi, includes over 30 miles of radiant heating pipe and is capable of maintaining a root zone temperature of over 70 degrees, thus making it possible for grass to continue growing throughout the winter months. </div> <bR> <div> The stadium earlier had been upgraded in 1993 with the initial installation of a $1.7-million Sony JumboTron color replay board in the north end zone. Complemented in 1996 by a new $3.5-million scoreboard project, the two scoreboards at Lambeau provide fans with a complete listing of game score, down and distance, ball location, time of game, yardage figures and out-of-town scores with greater visibility. The larger of the two new boards, 208-feet long and 40-feet high, extends across the north end zone, while the south end zone is home to a scoreboard measuring 164-feet long and 38-feet high. In addition to the matrix portions, each complete scoreboard includes a 20-by-26 foot replay board, the original north end zone screen having been moved to the south end zone and replaced by a similar Sony replay board. </div> <div> In recent years, Lambeau Field has become one of the toughest places to play in the National Football League. In the midst of going nearly four full seasons at home without a defeat -- prior to a 1998 Monday night loss to Minnesota, their last setback at Lambeau had come in the 1995 season opener -- the Packers established the second-longest home winning streak, 25 games, in National Football League history. Only the Miami Dolphins of 1971-74 have won more consecutive regular-season games at home (27).</div> <bR> <div> Filled with many modern fan amenities -- from its 198 private boxes and 1,920 club seats to its technologically-advanced sound system to its two relatively new, end zone scoreboards, each with a Sony JumboTron color replay board -- Lambeau still maintains a nostalgic and intimate feel to it with totally unobstructed sightlines. Permeated by history, tradition and mystique, the view from inside can be awe-inspiring. </div> <bR> <div> The Packers organization has spent over $50 million on improvements to the stadium, club administration building and training facilities over the past two decades, including construction of the original indoor practice structure in 1982 and replacing it with Don Hutson Center in 1994 at a cost of nearly $4.7 million. </div> <bR> <div> Unique and uncomparable, Lambeau Field now is wholly owned by the City of Green Bay, retirement of the original $960,000 indebtedness having been celebrated at a mortgage burning ceremony in May of 1978.</div> <div> Sold out on a season-ticket basis since 1960, the team maintained two separate ticket packages after moving all of its games to Green Bay starting with the 1995 season. 'Gold' ticket holders (made up primarily of former Milwaukee season patrons) have a three-game package consisting of the annual Midwest Shrine preseason contest plus home games two and five of the regular season. 'Green' season customers (made up of original Green Bay ticket holders) have a seven-game package consisting of the annual Bishop's Charities preseason game in addition to the remaining six regular-season contests. </div> <bR> <div> The stadium is located on the southwest edge of Green Bay, surrounded on three sides by the village of Ashwaubenon.</div> <bR> <div> The most revered stadium throughout the entire National Football League, 43-year-old Lambeau Field will be preserved for the enjoyment of many generations to come after a September 12, 2000, Brown County referendum approved a half-cent sales tax for the redevelopment of the historic stadium. </div> <div> Unveiled by Packers President Bob Harlan on January 22, 2000, the $295 million redevelopment plan for Lambeau will be jointly financed by county taxpayers and the Packers, a partnership similar to the one in 1956 that originally built the stadium. Tax dollars would be spent to repair, improve and maintain the aging facility. The Packers' contributions would be spent to enhance the facility's revenue-generating capabilities, allowing the team to remain economically viable into the future. </div> <bR> <div> "Our fans overwhelmingly have asked us to save Lambeau Field," Harlan said. "This plan accomplishes that while giving the Packers an economic base to build for the future in Green Bay." </div> <div> Lambeau Field will feature a gorgeous, "retro" look under the renovation plan. The outside walls will be composed of red brick with green accents and glass complementing it. </div> <bR> <div> A redeveloped stadium will provide roughly 10,000 additional seats, including 6,000 general admission seats within the bowl. The main concourse -- currently so narrow in some places that it has become a fan safety problem -- will be expanded, and a new upper concourse also will be added. Additional restrooms, particularly for women, also will be built, and the number of sale points for concessions will be nearly doubled. </div> <bR> <div> Another large component of the project is a five-story atrium, to be located on the east side of the stadium, which will house a vastly expanded Packers Pro Shop, a relocated Packer Hall of Fame (it currently is across the street, adjacent to the Brown County Arena), a stadium club and the offices of the Packers' administration and football operations. Called "Titletown," this area will become a destination site for fans and tourists, generating revenue 365 days per year, rather than just on 10 game days, as currently is the case. </div> <bR> <div> Plans call for the construction work to be done over a three-year period, primarily during the offseason -- allowing the Packers to continue to play in their home stadium throughout the project. The "as new" Lambeau Field would be completed in time for the 2003 National Football League season. </div> <div> As part of the additional 6,000 new general admission seats in the bowl, the Packers will set aside 4,000 tickets each game for people without season tickets -- meaning that 40,000 new fans get to see the Packers play every year. A minimum 2,000 additional seats within the bowl will be made available to people on the team's season-ticket waiting list, which now numbers over 50,000. A new stadium capacity of approximately 71,000 will be reached, up from the current 60,890. </div> <bR> <div> Financing for the project will come in the form of a half-cent sales tax in Brown County -- the county where the Packers make their estimated $144 million annual economic impact -- that will support $160 million in bonding for the project. The Packers will contribute $125.9 million to the project from a one-time seat user fee ($1,400 for seven-game 'Green Package' ticket holders, $600 for three-game 'Gold Package' ticket holders), proceeds from their 1997-98 stock sale and from an NFL loan. Additionally, the club has pledged to cover all of the project's cost overruns in consideration of its authority to direct the design of the building and stadium construction. </div> <bR> <div> The Packers' contribution to the project ranks as the fifth-highest in NFL history. </div> <div> Enabling legislation for the project was signed into law by Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thompson on May 13, 2000, in a ceremony held right on Lambeau Field. Green Bay Mayor Paul Jadin and the Packers subsequently reached an agreement on the sale of future stadium naming rights -- as mandated in the state bill -- and the Green Bay City Council approved the naming rights deal July 18, 2000. </div> <bR> <div> The longest-tenured facility in the National Football League, Lambeau has undergone numerous seating additions to reach its present capacity of 60,890. It easily ranks as one of the most recognized and envied locales in all of professional sports, a fact recognized in 1999 when Sports Illustrated named it the eighth-best venue in the world to watch sports -- and the lone NFL stadium to make the magazine's list of 20.</div> <div> Packers.com</div> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>